Trinidad and Tobago’s manufacturing sector has secured a major financing boost, with US$50 million in Japan-backed funding supporting beverage production upgrades and glass recycling development.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced on October 15 that the Inter-American Investment Company, known as IDB Invest, had signed a loan agreement with ANSA McAL and its beverage subsidiary, Caribbean Development Company Limited (CDC). The agreement was signed on July 17 under the JICA-funded Trust Fund Achieving Development of Latin America and the Caribbean (TADAC).

The funding will support equipment upgrades at CDC’s beverage manufacturing operations, including brewing, packaging, logistics and workplace health and safety. It will also contribute to reconstructing the furnace at Carib Glassworks Limited, which supplies glass bottles to CDC, alongside working capital for importing production materials.

The project forms part of a wider financing framework of up to US$500 million for the ANSA McAL Group, with the initial commitment announced by IDB Invest including US$200 million from international financing partners. The US$50 million TADAC contribution is therefore one component of the wider financing arrangement.

The investment aims to strengthen local manufacturing capacity, reduce packaging waste and improve the circular use of glass containers. It could also help expand exports of beverages and glass products, supporting efforts to diversify Trinidad and Tobago’s foreign-exchange earnings beyond energy.

The financing places sustainable manufacturing and glass recycling at the centre of a major private-sector investment, with potential benefits for industrial capacity, supply chains and regional competitiveness.